Dinah Washington once said of her, “Timi’s voice doesn’t come from the throat, but from the heart. She doesn’t just sing the song, she lives it.”

“Timi Yuro was among the most powerful and emotional singers of the 1960s. Her passion and commitment did not fall far short of Aretha Franklin’s. She was born Rosemarie Timotea Aurro into an Italian-American family in Chicago in 1940, and her mother encouraged her to sing. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1952 where Frankie Laine’s vocal coach was so impressed that she gave Timi free training. By the time she was 14, she was singing as Timi Yuro in nightclubs, although her mother disapproved and interrupted one performance by shouting, “This is your last song, young lady.” Yuro’s parents had a restaurant in Hollywood and she became their resident singer. Timi Yuro was signed to Liberty Records in late 1959, but she was not happy at being asked to record lightweight pop songs. She gatecrashed an executive meeting and threatened to tear up her contract unless she could record as she wanted. She then broke into an impassioned rendition of ‘Hurt’, which had been a rhythm and blues hit for Roy Hamilton in 1954.

Yuro lost her voice in 1980 and underwent surgery for throat cancer. Around the same time, a re-recording of ‘Hurt’ was a hit in Holland and, when she was able to sing again, she recorded two albums for the Dutch market. In 1982 Willie Nelson repaid her earlier kindness by lending her both his band and his recording studio for an album, ‘Timi Yuro – Today’, which also featured his guest vocals. She lost her voice again in 1984 and had been fighting cancer ever since.

B1 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (2:17)B2 I Can’t Stop Loving You (4:20)B3 All Alone Am I (2:35)B4 It Hurts To Be In Love (2:38)B5 It Must Be Him (2:50)B6 Tears On My Pillow (2:08)B7 Only You (3:09) B8 Thank You For Calling (2:27)